a muffin top. being breathless when using the stairs. easily getting tired after a few minutes of physically challenging activities. i knew i was out of shape. and my pants were getting too tight for my taste. not to mention that my uber-guapo partner wants to lose some excess poundage as well, so it was time to engage in some calorie-burning activities.
badminton was a natural choice. for one, i had a regular group to play with. and i have to mention that they are quite good and fast players so my work was cut out for me. i just love the adrenalin rush one gets when trying to keep that shuttlecock from dropping on your court, running around in an effort to do so. i had to add though that most of the shots come my way simply because i am the weaker player in my group. however, i am learning to be at least toe to toe with them. and an initial 10-session coaching (no, make that 7 since i stopped showing up after the 7th session) for the basics of the game did help. at least you will learn how to do things right, thereby preventing yourself from unnecessary injuries.
swimming was always something i loved to do but never did learn to do it properly. for someone who loves to snorkel and loves the sea, it is strange right? so a few months back, i decided to do something about it. after learning from a good friend that waterfront does offer personalized swimming lessons, i jumped right into the pool so to speak. i would have to mention though that my sister started taking lessons at about the same time so i said to myself, why not, right? i had a former competitive swimmer ( Dino Aranda ) for my instructor and for someone so young, he sure was very patient. it is true that it is definitely hard to teach an old dog new tricks. and the reason for this is that old dogs have to unlearn what they have been doing a trick they have been doing their way – and not exactly the right way. so i did (finally!) learn to do the freestyle and the backstroke properly. breastroke and butterfly would have to come later. and of course, i have to stop training momentarily because i was almost blending perfectly with my black shorts 🙂
and there is of course running which is the current craze right now in cebu. with almost weekly organized runs happening, how can one ignore it? so i have resolved to at least go for one 5k run one of these days. and sign-up i did for the cebu marathon in early january. which just means i really, really have to prepare for that soon 🙂
i did at one point got a bowling ball (second-hand of course) just to see if i can get serious with bowling but the game does make a serious dent on your wallet so that really did not prosper.
if there is one thing i am learning from all these activity, it is that your best bet at keeping your weight down and being fit is to combine proper diet with exercise. exercise alone will not do. much more if one goes with diet.
at least i can say that i have significantly reduced my muffin top 🙂
my take 